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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — a division
  7. track — a path
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — to wash
  10. charge — electricity
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — rain
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. field — for sport

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