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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: chair · perch · branch · hide · bound · cue · fall · charge

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fall — to drop
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. fall — the season
  17. chair — a leader
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. perch — the fish
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cue — for pool
  23. perch — for a bird
  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