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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.

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: chip · cold · field · branch · ball · nail · mine · perch

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. field — a subject
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. field — farmland
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — for digging

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