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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: wake · band · season · bay · chip · plane · straw · perch

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. season — of the year
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chip — to eat
  12. season — in sport
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. plane — a tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. perch — for a bird
  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