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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: wind · drill · chair · branch · charge · swing · lash · capital

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. branch — a division
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. charge — a price
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. charge — in control
  22. swing — music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wind — moving air

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