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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — ground
  3. pop — soda
  4. charge — a price
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spring — the season
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. charge — in control
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pop — music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. land — to come down
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — of water
  21. charge — electricity
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pop — to visit
  24. spring — a coil

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