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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: rock · track · chair · bark · land · chip · bore · cabinet

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. land — ground
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chair — a leader
  11. land — a country
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rock — a stone
  14. land — to come down
  15. bore — to drill
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — music
  24. chair — to sit on

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