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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.

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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: charge · cell · bear · foot · mark · scale · wound · snap

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. charge — in control
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to click
  8. cell — a phone
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — a measure
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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