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

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. perch — the fish
  4. field — for sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — a subject
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. branch — a division
  13. mug — a face
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. field — farmland
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — for a bird

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