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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — to shout
  4. track — a song
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — child
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — to keep track
  19. chip — for betting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. track — a path
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chip — to eat

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