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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
468
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 · chip · mine · bark · chest · pitcher · fine · current

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — all right
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — happening now
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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