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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: bark · chip · ball · rash · kid · pass · field · bank

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kid — child
  5. field — farmland
  6. rash — a series
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bark — to shout
  11. field — a subject
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bank — for money
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ball — a dance

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