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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.

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: cold · file · charge · can · mine · bat · branch · kick

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. file — a document
  4. can — a tin
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. kick — in football
  8. cold — not warm
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bat — the animal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. file — a tool
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cold — an illness

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