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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: spring · pitcher · bark · chip · band · bat · bear · fan

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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