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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · roll · bank · degree · date · ball · bark · straw

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chip — for betting
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ball — a great time
  14. degree — temperature
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. degree — from a university
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bank — for money
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. bank — of a river
  24. ball — a round shape

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