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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rock — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — a division
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chip — for betting
  14. staff — employees
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rock — a stone
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chip — in a computer

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