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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · rash · chip · drill · spring · chair · ruler · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. spring — of water
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rash — a series
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. wake — a trail

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