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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 · trunk · deal · bank · chest · swing · spell · fork

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. fork — in a road
  5. chest — a box
  6. swing — to play on
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spell — letters
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spell — magic
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. swing — music
  19. bank — for money
  20. spell — a short time
  21. swing — in golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fork — to eat with

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