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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: stick · leaves · bear · cabinet · chip · straw · band · board

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a ring
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bear — the animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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