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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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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: perch · mine · game · mouse · nail · wax · pitcher · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. game — a match
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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