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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: spring · season · fan · wind · kid · object · chip · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spring — of water
  3. season — in sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bank — for money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — the season
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. season — of the year
  16. object — an aim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spring — a coil
  20. kid — to tease
  21. object — a thing
  22. chip — to eat
  23. object — to protest
  24. kid — child

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