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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: file · charge · land · race · key · branch · prune · perch

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. charge — in control
  4. race — a contest
  5. charge — electricity
  6. key — the most important part
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. charge — a price
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — the fish
  12. key — in music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. key — for a lock
  18. land — ground
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. file — a document
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  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