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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: chair · bark · wind · bank · hide · arm · chip · swing

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wind — moving air
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chip — for betting
  11. swing — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. swing — in golf
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wind — to turn a key

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