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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. race — a contest
  5. charge — a price
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stock — shares
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — the arms race
  15. file — a document
  16. field — farmland
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mug — a face
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. race — humankind
  22. charge — in control
  23. field — for sport
  24. file — a line of people

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