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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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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: wound · sharp · club · bear · leaves · nail · perch · charge

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for dancing
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. club — for golf
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. club — a group
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. charge — in control

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