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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · tube · branch · fall · net · ball · spring · fan

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — in sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. fall — the season
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spring — the season
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — for catching
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. branch — a division

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