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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: date · mate · bear · current · stem · bark · clip · chip

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. current — electric
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. current — of water
  15. mate — a partner
  16. current — happening now
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. clip — a video
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. clip — for paper
  24. date — on the calendar

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