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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 116 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: kid · wind · bank · bat · root · board · pitcher · chip

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kid — child
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bank — for money
  8. chip — for betting
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. root — of a word
  24. kid — to tease

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