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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — goods
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. row — to paddle
  6. charge — in control
  7. clip — to cut
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — for paper
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. row — a line
  16. club — for dancing
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. club — for golf
  20. clip — a video
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stock — shares
  24. club — a group

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