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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. charge — in control
  5. bank — for money
  6. cue — for pool
  7. charge — a price
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. cue — a signal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bank — for money

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