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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stock — goods
  5. cap — a hat
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — to go on
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. charge — a price
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — final
  18. cap — of ice
  19. last — finally
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cap — a lid
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bulb — of a plant

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