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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: charge · court · chair · perch · branch · chip · rest · wound

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — a price
  4. chip — for betting
  5. branch — a division
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — for sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chip — to eat
  15. charge — in control
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. court — of a king
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of law
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rest — a break

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