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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: plane · charge · tear · stick · mouse · field · perch · snap

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tear — to rip
  6. snap — to click
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. field — for sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — farmland
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. charge — electricity
  22. tear — from crying
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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