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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: season · bank · last · fan · chip · clip · saw · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — for betting
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — of the year
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — for money
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — finally
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — final
  24. chip — in a computer

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