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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bass — low music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bass — the fish
  21. row — a line
  22. charge — a price
  23. row — to paddle
  24. charge — in control

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