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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: wake · perch · key · charge · rash · file · current · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. file — a document
  4. rash — a series
  5. key — in music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. file — a line of people
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — for digging
  11. key — the most important part
  12. charge — in control
  13. current — electric
  14. key — for a lock
  15. file — a tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — of water
  19. charge — electricity
  20. perch — the fish
  21. charge — a price
  22. current — happening now
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wake — a trail

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