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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: present · bank · wake · cap · racket · bound · chip · stick

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bound — certain
  3. bank — for money
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — the time now
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. present — there
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. present — a gift
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — for money
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cap — of ice

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