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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: sharp · patient · branch · hand · mug · hide · bat · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mug — a face
  17. hand — help
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — a division
  24. sharp — with an edge

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