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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — a subject
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — finally
  5. charge — in control
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. tear — to rip
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. deal — to handle
  10. charge — electricity
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — a coil
  13. branch — a division
  14. last — final
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — the season
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. spring — of water

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