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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bank — of a river
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spell — magic
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — a stone
  17. board — a committee
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. charge — in control
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — to get on

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