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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mate — a friend
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. press — to push
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a great time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — a partner
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — in music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. charge — electricity
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mate — to breed

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