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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 · stand · bound · perch · band · root · pit · bay

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — certain
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chip — to eat
  6. band — a music group
  7. bound — obliged
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pit — a hole
  10. band — a ring
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pit — in a race
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. root — the cause

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