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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: rush · kid · charge · bank · deal · mine · field · branch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bank — of a river
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. branch — a division
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. field — farmland
  11. charge — electricity
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. charge — a price
  14. field — a subject
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — in control
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — child

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