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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. charge — in control
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — to breed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — the season
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. fork — in a road
  23. charge — electricity
  24. track — a song

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