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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · game · perch · nail · saw · dip

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. dip — to sink
  3. game — wild animals
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a kind of play

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