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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: tube · chip · saw · mark · patient · game · foot · bark

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bark — to shout
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mark — a grade
  10. chip — to eat
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. saw — the tool
  14. foot — a measure
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — a trace
  21. tube — a container
  22. chip — for betting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. chip — in a computer

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