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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: mug · nail · chip · kid · wake · net · leaves · perch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — to tease
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mug — to rob
  7. kid — child
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. net — after costs
  11. wake — a trail
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. net — for catching
  16. mug — a face
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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