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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: charge · straw · pop · rest · chip · wake · cabinet · tube

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. rest — a break
  3. charge — electricity
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — a price
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — soda
  10. tube — a container
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pop — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. charge — in control
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — what's left

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