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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fine — all right
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. charge — in control
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. charge — electricity
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. shower — rain
  13. ground — a position
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — to visit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ground — the earth
  24. fine — high quality

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