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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: vault · staff · dip · clip · mug · charge · rash · branch

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mug — a cup
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. vault — a safe
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. dip — to sink
  13. clip — a video
  14. rash — hasty
  15. charge — a price
  16. staff — employees
  17. clip — for paper
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mug — a face
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mug — to rob
  24. staff — a stick

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