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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. track — a song
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stock — goods
  6. rash — a series
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. charge — a price
  12. stock — shares
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. track — a path
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. charge — in control
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. charge — electricity
  24. branch — a division

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