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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 116 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 · saw · leaves · snap · trunk · bass · charge · cell

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to click
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the fish
  10. cell — in biology
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. charge — in control
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cell — a phone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — low music
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. charge — electricity
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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