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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 120 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: patient · perch · bulb · chair · temple · cold · charge · season

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. season — of the year
  3. bulb — for light
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. charge — electricity
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. charge — in control
  17. season — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. perch — the fish
  20. charge — a price
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. patient — a sick person

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