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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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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: date · saw · wave · bank · spring · chair · chest · perch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. date — the fruit
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — a coil
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. chair — a leader
  13. perch — the fish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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