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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · fan · chip · game · bark · pit · tube · tear

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — a match
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tube — a container
  20. bark — to shout
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. chip — in a computer

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