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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: mark · band · snap · tear · wake · cell · bark · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a ring
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cell — a phone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wake — a trail
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. tear — from crying

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