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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: chair · cabinet · wave · perch · chip · bulb · mine · straw

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bulb — for light
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. chip — for betting

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