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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 120 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: swing · can · rash · branch · shower · track · capital · charge

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. swing — in golf
  3. shower — to wash
  4. charge — a price
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. branch — a division
  7. rash — a series
  8. track — a song
  9. charge — electricity
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. capital — money
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. swing — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — a city
  24. charge — in control

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