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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: stick · wake · branch · bass · charge · rush · hand · tube

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. charge — electricity
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bass — low music
  14. hand — help
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. charge — in control
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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