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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 · key · stock · roll · squash · mine · lean · chip

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lean — to bend
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. key — in music
  18. stock — shares
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stock — goods
  21. squash — to crush
  22. roll — a list
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mine — for digging

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