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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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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 · bore · pound · chip · chair · bear · straw · perch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chip — for betting
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bear — the animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bark — of a tree

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