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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
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 · ground · cell · land · dip · can · chest · current

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — to come down
  7. dip — to sink
  8. current — of water
  9. perch — the fish
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cell — in biology
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — electric
  14. cell — a phone
  15. land — ground
  16. can — a tin
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chest — a box
  19. current — happening now
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — of your body

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