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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 120 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: perch · squash · chest · band · cabinet · track · foot · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a ring
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — the fish
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a music group
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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