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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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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: mine · wind · lean · field · branch · firm · charge · mate

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mate — a friend
  6. branch — a division
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — in control
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. firm — decided
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. charge — a price
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wind — moving air
  20. field — farmland
  21. firm — steady
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mate — to breed
  24. field — for sport

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