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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mark · spring · cap · craft · bore · arm · chip

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chip — for betting
  6. cap — a lid
  7. craft — boats
  8. spring — the season
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — of water

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