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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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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: fan · chip · degree · pop · bowl · cabinet · bark · trunk

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pop — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chip — for betting
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — soda
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — to shout
  24. trunk — of a car

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