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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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468
Word bank
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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. present — there
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cell — a phone
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. present — a gift
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — to eat
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. hand — help
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. present — the time now
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chip — in a computer

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