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

Word bank: chest · land · bank · deal · season · track

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bank — for money
  9. chest — a box
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — ground
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — of the year
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song

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