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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: straw · branch · roll · can · cell · charge · bat · land

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. land — a country
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cell — in biology
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cell — a phone
  14. branch — a division
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. roll — a list
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — a price

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