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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: rush · hide · calf · wind · wound · charge · pitcher · branch

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — in control
  4. branch — a division
  5. charge — a price
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hide — animal skin

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