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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · band · chip · date · game · bank · toast · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. toast — bread
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — the season
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spring — of water
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. game — a match
  12. bank — for money
  13. band — a music group
  14. clip — a video
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. game — wild animals
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bank — of a river
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chip — to eat

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