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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: mate · roll · pitcher · charge · current · branch · fall · bark

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. roll — a cake
  3. charge — a price
  4. mate — a friend
  5. roll — a list
  6. current — happening now
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. charge — in control
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — of water
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. current — electric
  21. bark — to shout
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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