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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: rock · trunk · clip · board · season · last · bank · chip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. clip — for paper
  5. season — of the year
  6. rock — music
  7. board — to get on
  8. last — to go on
  9. rock — a stone
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. board — a committee
  15. last — final
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — a video
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. last — finally
  21. chip — for betting
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. clip — to cut

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