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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: hand · lean · dip · mark · rest · branch · bark · chip

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. branch — a division
  4. bark — to shout
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lean — thin
  12. dip — to sink
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — help
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rest — a break

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