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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tube — the underground
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chip — for betting
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a document
  14. tube — a container
  15. row — to paddle
  16. dip — to sink
  17. file — a tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. row — a quarrel

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