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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: chip · branch · lean · bass · wake · prune · bark · chair

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bass — low music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — a division
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — a leader
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chip — in a computer

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