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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 · wind · hand · rule · branch · bank · spring · row

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — a law
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — the season
  10. row — to paddle
  11. rule — government
  12. wind — moving air
  13. row — a line
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — in cards
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — in control
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bank — of a river
  22. charge — a price
  23. bank — for money
  24. branch — of a bank

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