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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. charge — electricity
  3. file — a tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. charge — a price
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a document
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. spell — letters
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — magic
  21. charge — in control
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  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