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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: branch · capital · bear · degree · lash · lean · charge · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. charge — in control
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. capital — a city
  10. mate — to breed
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. degree — an amount
  21. charge — a price
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — electricity
  24. branch — of a bank

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