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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. content — the amount
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. craft — boats
  11. content — happy
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. roll — a list
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. charge — a price
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. craft — a skill
  24. charge — in control

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