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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · pitcher · craft · perch · ground · rush · charge · file

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — electricity
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a document
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a tool
  17. craft — boats
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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