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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rash — a series
  4. current — happening now
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — a face
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. branch — a division
  14. charge — a price
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. swing — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rash — hasty
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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