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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · wake · net · toast · perch · roll · bulb · clip

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. net — after costs
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — a video
  9. roll — a list
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chair — a leader
  12. net — in sport
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — for paper
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — a trail
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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