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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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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: wound · pop · cabinet · wave · club · cell · rule · chip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — a phone
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. club — for golf
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chip — to eat
  10. club — a group
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — a law
  17. pop — soda
  18. rule — government
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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