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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — a tin
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. chip — for betting
  21. tube — a container
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wake — a trail
  24. squash — the vegetable

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