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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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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: bank · lean · wave · chip · cold · kick · cabinet · root

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cold — not warm
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lean — thin
  5. cold — an illness
  6. root — of a word
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chip — to eat
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bank — for money
  22. root — the cause
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — in football

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