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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. shower — rain
  3. march — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. capital — money
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. branch — a division
  12. stem — to come from
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ball — a dance
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. capital — a city
  23. charge — electricity
  24. march — the month

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