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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: fork · chip · ball · perch · chest · shower · wake · object

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chip — to eat
  5. object — an aim
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. chest — of your body
  10. shower — to wash
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — a box
  13. shower — rain
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chip — for betting
  16. object — to protest
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — a thing
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ball — a great time

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