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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 · roll · can · tear · staff · spell · cabinet · branch

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. branch — a division
  9. can — a tin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. roll — a list
  18. tear — to rip
  19. charge — in control
  20. staff — a stick
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — a short time
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — to be able to

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