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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. branch — a division
  6. tear — from crying
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. net — in sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — a city
  18. charge — in control
  19. rock — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. net — for catching
  22. ground — the earth
  23. capital — money
  24. ground — a position

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