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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: charge · board · can · squash · ruler · shower · branch · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. board — a committee
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — farmland
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. can — to be able to
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — a price
  24. board — to get on

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