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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: bound · scale · clip · stem · cabinet · kid · pitch · chip

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bound — tied together
  9. scale — in music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — a video
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chip — to eat
  19. kid — child
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — in a computer
  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