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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: branch · staff · cap · pass · charge · kid · tear · shower

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. kid — child
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pass — a permit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cap — of ice
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tear — from crying
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — rain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cap — a hat
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. charge — a price
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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