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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
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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: foot · key · chip · cabinet · straw · branch · wound · degree

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chip — for betting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. branch — a division
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. key — in music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — to eat
  21. key — for a lock
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. foot — the bottom

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