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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rush — hurry
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — a division
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. squash — to crush
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. charge — a price
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. present — the time now
  20. charge — in control
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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