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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 · bark · pitch · pound · branch · rush · drill · foot

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bark — to shout
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. drill — army training
  9. pound — a weight
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pitch — completely
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pound — for dogs

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