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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 · lash · game · mine · branch · bulb · chip · bark

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mine — for digging
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. branch — a division
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bark — to shout
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. game — a match
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bark — of a tree

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