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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: chest · bark · wind · trunk · fan · charge · land · chip

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — a country
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — in control
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chest — a box
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chest — of your body
  17. charge — a price
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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