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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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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 · perch · prune · bark · chest · cue · firm · march

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. march — the month
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — a company
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. march — music
  17. firm — steady
  18. bark — to shout
  19. prune — to trim
  20. firm — decided
  21. march — the month
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cue — for pool

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