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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · plane · land · stem · charge · perch · band · chest

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a ring
  6. degree — from a university
  7. land — ground
  8. stem — to come from
  9. land — a country
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. degree — an amount
  14. charge — a price
  15. land — to come down
  16. plane — a tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a music group

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