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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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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: bat · row · current · mate · charge · nail · branch · date

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mate — a friend
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — to breed
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bat — the animal
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — a division
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. date — the fruit
  19. current — electric
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — in control
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mate — a partner
  24. charge — a price

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