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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: last · branch · lash · court · cabinet · mark · chip · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chip — for betting
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. last — to go on
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — a trace
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a grade
  13. last — final
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chip — to eat
  16. last — finally
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — of a king
  24. chip — in a computer

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