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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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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: spring · bank · firm · bark · chip · hide · deal · kid

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kid — child
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. firm — decided
  5. bank — for money
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — of water
  9. chip — to eat
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. firm — steady
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bank — of a river
  22. deal — to handle
  23. firm — a company
  24. chip — in a computer

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