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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: wound · temple · staff · net · season · chip · bark · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. staff — employees
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. chip — for betting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wound — an injury
  14. staff — a stick
  15. net — after costs
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — of the year
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bark — to shout
  24. temple — side of the head

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