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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: cabinet · land · calf · straw · bowl · chip · cold · wave

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. land — ground
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — a country
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. land — to come down
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cold — the Cold War

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