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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 120 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 · craft · last · bark · spell · bore · swing · suit

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — to go on
  4. spell — magic
  5. suit — to fit
  6. spell — a short time
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bore — to drill
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — music
  14. last — final
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spell — letters
  18. swing — in golf
  19. last — finally
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. craft — boats
  22. bark — to shout
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chip — for betting

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