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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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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: straw · present · wound · arm · chip · capital · pound · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chip — for betting
  4. present — the time now
  5. capital — a city
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bank — of a river
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. present — a gift
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bank — for money
  24. present — there

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