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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: pop · spring · cold · trunk · land · chip · board · scale

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cold — not warm
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pop — soda
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. land — to come down
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — ground
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — in music
  16. board — to get on
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. scale — size or range
  23. cold — an illness
  24. scale — for weighing

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