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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bark — to shout
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chip — for betting
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — on the skin

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