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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. charge — electricity
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — in music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. branch — a division
  15. current — happening now
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. net — for catching
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — size or range
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — in sport
  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