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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. branch — a division
  15. charge — in control
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a music group
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. charge — a price

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