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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: file · charge · pop · patient · court · kid · branch · tube

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pop — music
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — to visit
  7. court — of a king
  8. kid — child
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. file — a document
  13. charge — a price
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. branch — a division
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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