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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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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 · wound · tube · vault · bat · bank · land · cue

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — a country
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bank — of a river
  6. vault — a safe
  7. tube — a container
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — a hint
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. chip — to eat
  24. land — ground

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