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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 116 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: perch · field · lean · charge · wound · lash · cell · cold

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cold — not warm
  4. field — farmland
  5. perch — the fish
  6. charge — a price
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. charge — in control
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lean — thin
  22. field — a subject
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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