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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: toast · perch · chair · pitcher · season · chest · rock · stem

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rock — a stone
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a leader
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — a box
  7. rock — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — of your body
  12. season — of the year
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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