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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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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: mark · file · kid · tube · stick · perch · charge · bank

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kid — to tease
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — in control
  6. file — a line of people
  7. kid — child
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. charge — a price
  10. perch — the fish
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — electricity
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bank — for money
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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