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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: club · cell · track · branch · wind · charge · clip · can

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — a group
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — a video
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — for paper
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. charge — in control
  15. track — a path
  16. club — for dancing
  17. charge — electricity
  18. track — to keep track
  19. club — for golf
  20. can — a tin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. clip — to cut

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