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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: cabinet · swing · chip · mug · bank · nail · hand · field

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bank — for money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — help
  14. field — for sport
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mug — a face
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. field — a subject
  21. bank — for money
  22. field — farmland
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hand — in cards

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