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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — a song
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a path
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. branch — a division
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — to keep track
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. charge — a price
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. land — to come down
  19. charge — in control
  20. land — a country
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wound — an injury

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