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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: land · perch · roll · mark · wound · charge · tube · last

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — final
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. roll — a cake
  8. last — finally
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tube — a container
  13. roll — a list
  14. charge — a price
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. land — to come down
  18. tube — the underground
  19. last — to go on
  20. mark — a trace
  21. perch — the fish
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — ground
  24. wound — an injury

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