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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 120 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: chip · wake · arm · root · net · bore · board · staff

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. root — the cause
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. chip — for betting
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. root — of a plant
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. net — in sport
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — after costs
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. net — for catching

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