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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: chip · bowl · cabinet · clip · bound · rash · band · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chip — for betting
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bound — certain
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. clip — for paper
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. band — a music group
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bound — tied together
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. band — a ring

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