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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: swing · bank · last · cabinet · chip · tube · row · ground

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. swing — to play on
  3. last — to go on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. row — a line
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — final
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — a position
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chip — to eat
  16. swing — music
  17. bank — for money
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. last — finally
  23. tube — a container
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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