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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: fall · chip · cap · bear · rock · saw · trunk · bank

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bank — for money
  17. fall — the season
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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