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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: fork · chip · pass · board · tear · spring · bark · cabinet

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — the season
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. board — to get on
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pass — a permit
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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