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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. file — a line of people
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — the underground
  8. charge — a price
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — a committee
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — for catching
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — a container

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