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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 · pitcher · arm · branch · club · hand · file · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. charge — a price
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. file — a line of people
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — a group
  10. mark — a trace
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a document
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — electricity
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. file — a tool
  17. charge — in control
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for golf
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. branch — a division

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