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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: bark · present · rest · track · wake · chip · fork · trunk

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. present — there
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — a trail
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chip — for betting
  12. present — the time now
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. present — a gift
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — a song
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. track — a path
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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