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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: bass · perch · spell · stem · chip · roll · nail · last

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — letters
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — low music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chip — to eat
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. last — final
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — a list
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. spell — magic
  16. bass — the fish
  17. last — finally
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spell — a short time
  21. last — to go on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. nail — on a finger

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