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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wax — to grow
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — after costs
  21. bank — for money
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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