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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 · cell · pass · chip · fan · kid · branch · spring

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. branch — a division
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. kid — child
  11. pass — a permit
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fan — a supporter

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