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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: chip · bank · arm · club · straw · spell · stock · cell

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spell — letters
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spell — magic
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stock — shares
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stock — goods
  13. club — a group
  14. bank — of a river
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. club — for golf
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chip — for betting
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bank — for money
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. spell — a short time

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