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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: current · leaves · perch · field · wake · wound · ball · chip

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a great time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. current — of water
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ball — a dance
  23. field — farmland
  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