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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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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: rash · staff · bark · stem · court · key · chip · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — for sport
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rash — hasty
  9. season — of the year
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. staff — employees
  12. key — for a lock
  13. staff — a stick
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. key — in music
  16. court — of a king
  17. rash — a series
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stem — to come from

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