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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: shower · branch · hide · row · coach · stem · bat · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. shower — to wash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. row — a line
  13. charge — a price
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. row — to paddle
  16. charge — electricity
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — rain
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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