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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rock — a stone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. charge — a price
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. prune — to trim
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rock — music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. charge — in control
  22. bass — low music
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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