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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.

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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: perch · saw · chip · stick · bank · rash · cabinet · wake

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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