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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · degree · pop · file · rash · bay · branch · charge

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. charge — in control
  7. pop — music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. file — a tool
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — a division
  17. charge — electricity
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — temperature
  20. charge — a price
  21. rash — a series
  22. pop — to visit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bay — a horse colour

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