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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · charge · ground · tear · cue · branch · mouse · club

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cue — a signal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cue — a hint
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. club — for golf
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — a position
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. branch — a division
  19. charge — a price
  20. club — a group
  21. charge — in control
  22. ground — crushed
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cue — for pool

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