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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. charge — in control
  4. pit — a hole
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. roll — a list
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — in a race
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. branch — a division
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — electricity

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