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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: board · can · charge · snap · mine · perch · land · scale

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. board — to get on
  10. charge — a price
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. charge — in control
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — electricity
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — a committee
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. land — ground

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