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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. craft — boats
  3. chip — for betting
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — of water
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chip — to eat
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. root — the cause
  14. shower — rain
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spring — the season
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — a coil
  20. drill — the tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bark — to shout
  24. drill — army training

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