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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 124 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. drill — a practice
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. spring — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. drill — army training
  7. spring — a coil
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — low music
  10. spring — of water
  11. lie — to recline
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. branch — a division
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. charge — electricity
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. charge — in control

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