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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. charge — electricity
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fall — to drop
  6. drill — army training
  7. track — a path
  8. charge — in control
  9. track — a song
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — to keep track
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. bark — to shout
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. charge — a price
  24. branch — of a tree

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