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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: rash · perch · charge · prune · game · staff · lash · drill

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. drill — the tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. drill — a practice
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. staff — employees
  11. charge — in control
  12. drill — army training
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. charge — electricity
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — to trim
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. game — a match
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rash — a series
  24. charge — a price

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