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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — thin
  3. branch — a division
  4. fall — to drop
  5. degree — from a university
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. club — for golf
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — to bend
  17. drill — the tool
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fall — to drop
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. charge — in control
  22. club — for dancing
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. charge — a price

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