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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · hand · cabinet · mine · bank · mark · craft · chip

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bank — for money
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — boats
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hand — help
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. chip — for betting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com