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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: bark · cell · chip · fork · perch · stem · march · clip

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. clip — a video
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. march — music
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chip — for betting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — to shout
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — to eat

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