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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. staff — employees
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. staff — employees
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — a price
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. charge — electricity
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. branch — a division
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — for digging

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