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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. charge — a price
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — for digging
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — help
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. hand — in cards

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