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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: chip · wound · cabinet · cold · bark · band · craft · bore

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cold — an illness
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a music group
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a ring
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. bore — to drill

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