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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: fork · capital · chip · cabinet · wound · bark · file · bowl

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chip — for betting
  9. file — a document
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fork — in a road
  18. capital — a city
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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