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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: bark · fan · face · squash · patient · race · chip · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — to eat
  15. face — to point toward
  16. race — the arms race
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — the sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chip — for betting

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