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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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. clip — for paper
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. charge — a price
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. clip — a video
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. charge — in control
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — to cut
  18. safe — out of danger

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