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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: cabinet · lean · key · chip · game · root · branch · season

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. branch — a division
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chip — to eat
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. season — in sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. root — of a word
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a plant
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. lean — thin

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