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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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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 · jam · spring · ruler · bat · last · scale · branch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. charge — in control
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. charge — a price
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bat — the animal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. last — final
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. spring — of water
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  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