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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lean — thin
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — in control
  8. spell — letters
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lean — to bend
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. clip — a video
  16. rock — a stone
  17. branch — a division
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rock — music
  20. charge — a price
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. branch — of a bank

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