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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: craft · lean · rest · stand · clip · row · charge · branch

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stand — to bear
  3. clip — a video
  4. charge — a price
  5. branch — a division
  6. row — to paddle
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rest — what's left
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. charge — electricity
  13. craft — boats
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rest — a break
  16. charge — in control
  17. clip — to cut
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lean — thin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lean — to rest against

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