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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 120 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: staff · chip · squash · bound · present · bank · arm · hide

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chip — to eat
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bound — tied together
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — employees
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bank — for money
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — certain
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bank — of a river
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bound — obliged
  23. present — the time now
  24. arm — part of the body

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