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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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Word bank
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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: mine · chip · rash · tube · pound · bank · cold · bulb

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bank — for money
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — a series
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tube — a container
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tube — in a tire

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