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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: staff · rush · cabinet · rash · capital · bark · chip · nail

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rash — a series
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — employees
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. capital — a city
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — for betting
  19. capital — money
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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