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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: rock · charge · fall · net · craft · perch · march · chair

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fall — the season
  6. charge — a price
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — the fish
  11. charge — in control
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chair — a leader
  14. march — music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — for catching
  18. craft — boats
  19. net — in sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — after costs
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — electricity

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