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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: present · bore · hand · branch · drill · spell · cue · charge

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. drill — the tool
  3. present — there
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spell — letters
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. present — a gift
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cue — for pool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — in cards
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. charge — in control
  18. drill — army training
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — a short time
  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