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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 · can · straw · perch · pitch · branch · firm · fork

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fork — in a road
  6. branch — a division
  7. charge — a price
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. firm — steady
  14. pitch — completely
  15. can — a tin
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — the fish
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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