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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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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 · kid · cabinet · squash · kick · spring · bank · fall

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kick — in football
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bank — of a river
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bank — for money
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spring — of water
  9. chip — for betting
  10. squash — the sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fall — the season
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bank — for money
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — the vegetable

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