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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: club · branch · scale · capital · fine · ground · charge · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. charge — electricity
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — the earth
  5. charge — in control
  6. club — a group
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — a city
  11. club — for dancing
  12. capital — money
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. clip — for paper
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. charge — a price
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. clip — a video
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. ground — crushed
  22. scale — in music
  23. club — for golf
  24. ground — a position

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