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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: branch · march · hand · charge · race · band · pitcher · cue

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cue — a hint
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — electricity
  7. march — the month
  8. band — a ring
  9. charge — a price
  10. branch — a division
  11. race — a contest
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. band — a music group
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. march — music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — in cards
  24. charge — in control

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