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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 120 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: chip · stock · saw · bank · bark · straw · season · march

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stock — goods
  4. chip — for betting
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — in sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. season — of the year
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. bank — for money

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