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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spring — of water
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spring — the season
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — a price
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — electricity
  19. content — happy
  20. spring — a coil
  21. toast — bread
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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