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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
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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: club · perch · suit · land · nail · chip · wax · present

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. land — to come down
  6. club — for golf
  7. present — a gift
  8. perch — the fish
  9. club — a group
  10. suit — clothes
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. present — there
  14. wax — to grow
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — ground
  17. club — for dancing
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. present — the time now
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chip — to eat

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