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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stand — to bear
  3. charge — a price
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. band — a ring
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — army training
  12. charge — in control
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pound — a weight
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. charge — electricity
  23. band — a music group
  24. stand — on your feet

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