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

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. roll — a list
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chip — for betting
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. chip — to eat
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — to shout
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. clip — a video
  13. net — in sport
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. bass — low music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. net — after costs
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bass — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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