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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: chip · deal · chair · trunk · mark · bound · degree · bark

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. chair — a leader
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bound — certain
  19. chip — for betting
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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