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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: saw · wound · nail · rock · charge · bulb · scale · field

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bulb — for light
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. scale — in music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. field — farmland
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. field — a subject
  20. scale — size or range
  21. charge — a price
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. nail — for a hammer

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