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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bark — to shout
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bank — for money
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. swing — music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — the tool
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. drill — army training

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