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

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — a price
  6. club — for golf
  7. last — finally
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — to go on
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. branch — a division
  19. club — a group
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. club — for dancing
  24. last — final

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