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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · branch · squash · mate · charge · file · bear · game

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. file — a document
  5. squash — to crush
  6. charge — in control
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. branch — a division
  11. mate — a friend
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — the sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. charge — electricity
  17. field — farmland
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. game — a match
  21. charge — a price
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — a kind of play

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