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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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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 · fan · stem · snap · stick · row · key · perch

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — a price
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. key — the most important part
  5. charge — in control
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — a line
  17. key — for a lock
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. charge — electricity

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