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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: craft · chip · kid · chest · fall · pound · bear · bark

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chest — a box
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. kid — to tease
  6. craft — boats
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bark — of a tree

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