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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: land · coach · board · chip · mate · wind · bear · perch

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wind — moving air
  5. land — to come down
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chip — to eat
  9. board — a committee
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — a country
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. land — ground
  20. perch — the fish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — a partner
  24. perch — for a bird

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