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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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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: drill · lean · bark · pound · chip · press · safe · temple

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lean — thin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. drill — army training
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — to push
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. press — newspapers
  20. bark — to shout
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pound — a weight
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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