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

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. saw — the tool
  3. firm — steady
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. present — the time now
  7. firm — decided
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — the season
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — of water
  18. charge — in control
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — there
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — a division
  23. firm — a company
  24. wake — a trail

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