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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 120 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: pit · bark · bear · trunk · object · content · bass · chip

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chip — for betting
  10. object — to protest
  11. bass — low music
  12. content — the amount
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. object — an aim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. object — a thing
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bear — the animal

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