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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: safe · charge · rule · perch · spring · bat · craft · chest

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. craft — boats
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — a price
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rule — government
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. craft — a skill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. perch — the fish
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. craft — a handicraft

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