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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mate — a partner
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. perch — the fish
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chip — for betting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mate — a friend
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. branch — a division
  18. charge — in control
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. file — a line of people
  22. charge — electricity
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a document

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