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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. net — in sport
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. net — for catching
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. craft — boats
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. craft — a skill
  12. net — after costs
  13. spring — a coil
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bark — to shout
  16. roll — a list
  17. chip — for betting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. chip — to eat
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. hide — animal 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