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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: chair · plane · perch · patient · hand · charge · craft · cell

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. craft — a skill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — a price
  7. cell — a phone
  8. charge — in control
  9. craft — boats
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chair — a leader
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — in cards
  23. perch — the fish
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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