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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 116 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 · land · can · field · track · bark · object · present

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — farmland
  7. present — a gift
  8. object — to protest
  9. track — a path
  10. present — there
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — a country
  15. object — a thing
  16. present — the time now
  17. field — a subject
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — to come down
  23. track — a song
  24. object — an aim

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