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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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. press — a publisher
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bark — to shout
  14. scale — in music
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. press — to push
  19. bore — to drill
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mine — an explosive

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