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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · perch · jam · season · plane · mine · chip · cold

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. season — in sport
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. cold — not warm
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — for betting
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — for digging
  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