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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: chair · bank · key · staff · chip · bark · bowl · wind

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bark — to shout
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. key — the most important part
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. key — in music
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — moving air

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