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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: bark · straw · ground · staff · jam · content · roll · chip

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. roll — a cake
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chip — to eat
  14. ground — crushed
  15. staff — a stick
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. chip — for betting
  21. staff — employees
  22. roll — a list
  23. ground — the earth
  24. jam — a tight spot

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