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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 · squash · bark · leaves · scale · jam · cell · chest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cell — in biology
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. scale — in music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. scale — size or range
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. squash — to crush

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