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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · mouse · perch · race · charge · board · lean · shower

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. race — a contest
  3. lean — to bend
  4. race — humankind
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. charge — in control
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — rain
  17. board — to get on
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. board — a committee
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. prune — to trim

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