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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 116 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: lean · cabinet · fine · squash · branch · wound · mouse · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fine — all right
  14. lean — thin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lean — to bend
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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