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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.

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: charge · march · straw · branch · wound · rule · pitch · fan

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. march — music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rule — a law
  23. branch — a division
  24. charge — a price

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