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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 120 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. rush — a thrill
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — a division
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — electricity
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rush — hurry
  16. file — a tool
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. capital — a city
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — a price
  23. club — a group
  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