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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: firm · mine · chip · bark · stand · fan · branch · snap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. firm — decided
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bark — to shout
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. firm — a company
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — for betting
  23. firm — steady
  24. stand — on your feet

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