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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · chip · dip · trunk · mine · track · bank · mate

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. track — a path
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — a friend
  12. track — a song
  13. bank — for money
  14. chip — to eat
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — a partner
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chest — a box
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mate — to breed

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