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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. suit — in cards
  5. fall — the season
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. fall — to drop
  9. suit — to fit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — to cut
  14. charge — in control
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. charge — a price
  22. branch — a division
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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