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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 120 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: season · fan · chip · file · present · bark · pop · row

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. present — there
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. row — a line
  5. season — of the year
  6. pop — soda
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. season — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. file — a line of people
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bark — to shout
  20. file — a document
  21. present — a gift
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — music
  24. chip — for betting

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