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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
468
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: foot · bowl · craft · hand · press · bark · dip · chip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — to shout
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. foot — a measure
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. hand — help
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chip — to eat
  14. press — newspapers
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. dip — to sink
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — to push

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