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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. hand — help
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lean — thin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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