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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 · fan · bound · staff · wave · cold · bank · branch

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. charge — a price
  7. bank — for money
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bound — obliged
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. branch — a division
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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