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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: bark · chip · wound · nail · roll · capital · foot · cue

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. foot — a measure
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cue — a hint
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. capital — a city
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. roll — a cake
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. roll — a list
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bark — to shout
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. capital — money
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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