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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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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — money
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. charge — a price
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. press — a publisher
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — to push
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — magic
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. branch — a division
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — a city
  23. lean — thin
  24. charge — in control

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