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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: chip · drill · spring · calf · bound · staff · bank · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bound — obliged
  7. staff — employees
  8. bound — certain
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bank — for money
  11. spring — of water
  12. staff — a stick
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spring — the season
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — for money
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — a young animal

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