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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. chip — for betting
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. row — to paddle
  10. saw — the tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. bark — to shout
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chip — to eat
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  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