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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. spell — magic
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — a division
  5. charge — a price
  6. object — a thing
  7. clip — for paper
  8. charge — electricity
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. firm — steady
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — letters
  14. hand — in cards
  15. present — the time now
  16. hand — help
  17. present — a gift
  18. spell — a short time
  19. object — to protest
  20. firm — decided
  21. object — an aim
  22. firm — a company
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — there

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