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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 · rash · spring · chip · bank · net · club · capital

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. spring — of water
  2. capital — a city
  3. bank — for money
  4. rash — a series
  5. net — after costs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bank — of a river
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — a coil
  10. capital — money
  11. chip — to eat
  12. club — for dancing
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. club — for golf
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — for catching
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — a group
  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