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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: key · chest · charge · branch · straw · plane · fork · net

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — for catching
  4. key — in music
  5. charge — a price
  6. key — the most important part
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. plane — a tool
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chest — a box
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. net — after costs
  13. key — for a lock
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fork — in a road
  24. branch — a division

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