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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. club — for dancing
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — a division
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bore — to tire
  9. club — a group
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. charge — a price
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — to tease
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. club — for golf
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — child
  24. charge — in control

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