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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 · track · nail · saw · mark · rest · branch

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — a division
  5. rest — what's left
  6. charge — in control
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rest — a break
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rest — what's left
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. charge — a price
  24. branch — of a bank

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