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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: charge · leaves · toast · branch · bowl · chip · hide · cold

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. branch — a division
  5. cold — not warm
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. toast — bread
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. cold — an illness
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. chip — to eat
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chip — for betting

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