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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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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: pound · land · wake · bass · bank · chip · net · rule

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bank — for money
  4. land — ground
  5. net — after costs
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — for catching
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rule — government
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rule — a law
  17. net — in sport
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bass — the fish
  20. land — a country
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bass — low music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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