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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: jam · chest · clip · tube · bay · net · chip · bank

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — a box
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. net — after costs
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — a video
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. clip — to cut
  16. net — in sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. net — for catching
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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