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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 116 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 · field · wind · mouse · trunk · mine · sharp · chip

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — the fish
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. field — farmland
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — for betting

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