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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 116 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: bay · saw · chip · cold · firm · bank · pitcher · staff

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chip — for betting
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bank — for money
  7. firm — steady
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. staff — employees
  12. firm — a company
  13. bank — for money
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chip — to eat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. firm — decided

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