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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: mark · roll · bark · lean · pound · chest · chip · land

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. land — a country
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mark — a trace
  7. land — to come down
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. land — ground
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lean — thin
  14. chest — a box
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. roll — a list
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mark — a grade
  24. roll — a cake

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