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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: can · kick · chip · content · bark · bore · mate · hand

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — the amount
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chip — for betting
  7. content — happy
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bark — to shout
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kick — in football
  23. hand — help
  24. mate — a friend

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