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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rush — hurry
  4. charge — in control
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. game — a match
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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