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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 · hide · wave · stick · land · rock · press

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. press — to push
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. press — a publisher
  7. land — to come down
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. land — a country
  19. chip — for betting
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hide — to keep secret

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