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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.

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: season · chip · trunk · cabinet · face · bank · field · straw

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. field — a subject
  5. face — part of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. season — in sport
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bank — for money
  11. face — to confront
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bank — for money
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — farmland
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bank — of a river

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