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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 120 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: plane · cabinet · suit · cold · bark · chip · bowl · tear

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. suit — to fit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. suit — clothes
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. plane — a tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chip — for betting
  23. suit — in cards
  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