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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: fork · bank · wound · wind · staff · date · chip · rash

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rash — a series
  4. bank — for money
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — for money
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — in a road
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wound — an injury

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