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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cell — a phone
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — a position
  10. rest — a break
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ground — crushed
  13. cell — in biology
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ground — the earth
  16. branch — a division
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — a jug

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