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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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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: staff · present · toast · wound · kid · chip · perch · bear

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. perch — the fish
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — the time now
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. toast — bread
  15. chip — for betting
  16. present — a gift
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chip — to eat
  20. present — there
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wound — an injury

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