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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: field · dip · hide · trunk · cabinet · chip · bank · cue

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — farmland
  4. cue — a signal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chip — for betting
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — for money
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cue — for pool
  12. field — a subject
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bank — of a river
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. trunk — of a tree

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