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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: rush · bat · stand · branch · cabinet · clip · sharp · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. clip — a video
  6. chip — for betting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — to cut

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