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

Word bank: chip · perch · kid · band · rush · wound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chip — for betting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — child
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — an injury

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