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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 124 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: cabinet · hide · bark · can · chip · wax · squash · game

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. can — to be able to
  4. game — wild animals
  5. chip — for betting
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — a tin
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. game — a match
  21. can — a tin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. squash — the vegetable

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