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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 · track · chip · fan · file · spring · straw · board

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. board — to get on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chip — to eat
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — to keep track
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — a coil
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. track — a path
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. board — a committee
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — ministers

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