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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. charge — a price
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. bass — the fish
  8. march — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — in control
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — electricity
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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