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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · cabinet · court · tube · wound · chip · fan · band

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a music group
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tube — a container
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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