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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · chip · chair · date · press · wind

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bark — to shout
  12. date — the fruit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wind — moving air
  15. press — to push
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chip — to eat

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