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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · deal · chest · perch · temple · charge · present · trunk

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cell — in biology
  3. charge — a price
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. present — there
  7. charge — electricity
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — the fish
  11. charge — in control
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. present — a gift
  16. chest — of your body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — the time now

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