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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.

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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: cell · charge · wake · perch · file · nail · field · lash

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a tool
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. field — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — a phone
  11. charge — in control
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. charge — a price
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. charge — electricity
  24. field — a subject

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