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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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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: present · stock · cell · charge · press · branch

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. present — the time now
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — a publisher
  7. charge — in control
  8. present — there
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — a division
  11. stock — goods
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cell — in biology
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cell — a phone
  16. present — a gift
  17. press — to push
  18. cell — in a prison

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