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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: deal · board · land · kid · bulb · branch · charge · rule

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. land — a country
  5. board — to get on
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. land — to come down
  8. bulb — for light
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rule — government
  11. charge — in control
  12. kid — to tease
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. charge — a price
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. branch — a division
  18. land — ground
  19. rule — a law
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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