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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — in sport
  3. spring — the season
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — hurry
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ground — a position
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. net — for catching
  14. ground — the earth
  15. file — a document
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ground — crushed
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. charge — a price
  21. file — a tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. branch — a division

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