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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — a series
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — in control
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. charge — a price
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lean — to bend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. branch — of a bank

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