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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. charge — in control
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. kid — to tease
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. clip — a video
  13. season — in sport
  14. branch — a division
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — clever
  20. charge — a price
  21. kid — child
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. clip — to cut

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