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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. charge — in control
  5. club — for dancing
  6. branch — a division
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — for golf
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. row — to paddle
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mate — a partner
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. row — a line
  20. club — a group
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bear — the animal

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