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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bass — low music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — magic
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spell — letters
  18. tube — a container
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wake — a trail
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bass — the fish

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