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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: ground · chip · drill · nail · chair · bark · staff · wind

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ground — a position
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chair — a leader
  20. staff — employees
  21. drill — the tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chair — a professorship

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