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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 120 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: degree · nail · cabinet · bound · trunk · clip · chip · root

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bound — obliged
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chip — to eat
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. clip — to cut
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bound — tied together
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. degree — an amount
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bound — certain
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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