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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: field · perch · fan · trunk · spell · saw · chip · drill

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spell — letters
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. spell — a short time
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — a practice
  17. spell — magic
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — the tool
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. drill — army training
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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