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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · spell · can · mine · tear · field · chip · present

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — the fish
  4. present — a gift
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. present — there
  8. spell — letters
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — magic
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — farmland
  14. present — the time now
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. tear — from crying

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