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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: pound · chip · net · cap · firm · wind · bowl · branch

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — steady
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. firm — a company
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chip — to eat
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chip — for betting
  17. branch — a division
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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