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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 · mate · chip · stem · plane · bay · cold · mouse

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bark — to shout

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