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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — a price
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. branch — a division
  22. rash — a series
  23. charge — in control
  24. bulb — for light

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