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

Word bank: present · rush · charge · wind · key · branch · bat · net

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. branch — a division
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — in sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — in music
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — in control
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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