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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — of water
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — a coil
  9. charge — a price
  10. shower — to wash
  11. charge — electricity
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bound — tied together
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. branch — a division
  16. file — a document
  17. toast — bread
  18. shower — rain
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bound — obliged
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. file — a tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. suit — clothes

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