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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.

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: perch · cell · saw · season · chair · wave · wake · fan

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. saw — the tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wake — a trail
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — a supporter

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