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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. charge — in control
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — a video
  10. fall — the season
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fall — to drop
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chair — a leader
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — a price
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. season — in 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