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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.

Make a worksheet

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: branch · charge · object · racket · date · cold · stem · court

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stem — to come from
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — for sport
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. object — a thing
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. charge — a price
  16. court — of law
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cold — an illness
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cold — not warm
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. charge — in control
  24. object — to protest

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