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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: temple · land · chair · plane · perch · pass · bark · object

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. land — to come down
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. pass — a permit
  7. land — a country
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. object — an aim
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. land — ground
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bark — to shout
  24. perch — for a bird

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