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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: charge · pitch · tear · chair · mine · stem · mark · branch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mark — a grade
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. branch — a division
  10. mark — a trace
  11. charge — a price
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. charge — in control
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a professorship

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