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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. club — for dancing
  3. land — a country
  4. lean — to bend
  5. club — for golf
  6. land — ground
  7. charge — a price
  8. land — to come down
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — a division
  11. bank — of a river
  12. charge — in control
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. club — a group
  24. march — the month

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