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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: chair · bear · roll · chest · bowl · staff · tube · bank

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chest — a box
  5. bear — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — a leader
  8. staff — employees
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — a stick
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. roll — a list
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bank — for money

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