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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stem — to come from
  5. row — to paddle
  6. charge — a price
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. charge — in control
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. face — to point toward
  11. spring — of water
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chair — a leader
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — a coil
  18. face — to confront
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — the season

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