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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: scale · mine · sharp · ball · bark · root · chip · dip

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. root — of a word
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bark — to shout
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chip — to eat
  15. scale — in music
  16. root — the cause
  17. chip — for betting
  18. root — of a plant
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. ball — a great time

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