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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: lean · spring · branch · spell · kid · season · bark · charge

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. branch — a division
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. season — of the year
  21. lean — thin
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — a coil

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