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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. file — a tool
  3. charge — a price
  4. mine — for digging
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — electricity
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stock — shares
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. branch — a division
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fork — in a road
  20. file — a document
  21. stock — goods
  22. charge — in control
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. row — to paddle

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