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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 · kid · lash · saw · perch · snap · mine · bank

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bank — of a river
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. charge — in control
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — child
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. snap — to click
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bank — for money
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — a price
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mine — an explosive

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