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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bear — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chip — to eat
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — after costs
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cue — for pool
  19. net — in sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. net — for catching
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chip — in a computer

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