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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. branch — a division
  3. row — a line
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. row — to paddle
  8. charge — a price
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ground — a position
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — in control
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mine — for digging
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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