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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: perch · chair · mate · hide · land · craft · rock · club

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. club — for golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — to come down
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. club — for dancing
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rock — a stone
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mate — to breed
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — a leader
  17. land — a country
  18. club — a group
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rock — music
  23. craft — boats
  24. hide — to keep secret

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