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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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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 · wind · pound · rule · trunk · current · bank · land

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wind — moving air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rule — a law
  6. land — a country
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pound — a weight
  10. current — electric
  11. land — ground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rule — government
  22. current — happening now
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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