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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. content — happy
  3. clip — for paper
  4. charge — electricity
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lean — to bend
  8. charge — a price
  9. rule — a law
  10. current — of water
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rule — government
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — happening now
  16. charge — in control
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. clip — a video
  19. content — the amount
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. clip — to cut
  22. current — electric
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. branch — a division

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