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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: hand · stand · cell · mine · ruler · charge · perch · face

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. charge — a price
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hand — in cards
  17. face — to point toward
  18. charge — in control
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hand — help
  22. face — to confront
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cell — a phone

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