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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: chip · pop · tear · wind · bass · squash · perch · bear

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pop — soda
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chip — to eat
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bass — low music
  13. pop — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — the fish

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