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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 120 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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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: deal · fall · chest · bark · chip · tube · nail · branch

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — to shout
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chest — a box
  10. tube — a container
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — the underground
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fall — the season
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chip — for betting

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