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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. field — farmland
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. charge — a price
  20. field — a subject
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — in control
  23. branch — a division
  24. pop — music

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