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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. charge — in control
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — money
  11. band — a ring
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. capital — a city
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — a container
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ground — the earth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. charge — a price
  24. ground — crushed

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