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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 116 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: charge · wind · rash · lash · file · rest · branch · fan

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. rash — a series
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rest — a break
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. branch — a division
  14. file — a tool
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. charge — a price
  21. wind — moving air
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rest — what's left
  24. branch — of a tree

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