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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
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: squash · last · charge · tear · branch · scale · pitch · file

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. file — a tool
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. last — finally
  5. tear — from crying
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. last — final
  10. tear — to rip
  11. squash — to crush
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. tear — from crying
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. scale — size or range
  22. charge — in control
  23. scale — in music
  24. branch — a division

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