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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.

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: straw · bowl · land · chip · prune · roll · fan · bank

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — ground
  6. roll — a list
  7. bank — for money
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. roll — a cake
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bank — for money
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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