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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: chip · nail · content · tear · can · spring · bark · staff

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. can — to be able to
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — the season
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. can — a tin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — of a tree

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