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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: arm · cue · field · charge · tear · wound · scale · branch

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — for sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cue — for pool
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cue — a hint
  11. charge — in control
  12. cue — a signal
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — in music
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wound — an injury
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — a subject

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