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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cap — a hat
  3. branch — a division
  4. can — to be able to
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ground — a position
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — in control
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mine — for digging
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — a price
  24. ground — crushed

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