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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 120 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: hide · bank · branch · tear · charge · present

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. present — a gift
  7. tear — from crying
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. present — there
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — for money
  14. present — the time now
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. charge — in control
  18. hide — to keep secret

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