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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: squash · sharp · perch · board · tube · clip · charge · rash

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rash — hasty
  3. clip — for paper
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — to crush
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. rash — a series
  11. tube — a container
  12. perch — the fish
  13. tube — the underground
  14. sharp — clever
  15. charge — a price
  16. squash — the sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. clip — a video
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — in control
  24. squash — the vegetable

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