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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 120 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: chip · perch · saw · wave · leaves · cold · temple · bark

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cold — an illness
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — to eat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — a place of worship

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