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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: file · wound · pitcher · fan · charge · bank · chest · branch

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. file — a document
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bank — for money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bank — for money
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chest — a box
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bank — of a river
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chest — of your body
  21. branch — a division
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. file — a line of people

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