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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 116 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
468
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 · kid · chip · field · hide · charge · coach · tube

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — in control
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kid — to tease
  6. charge — electricity
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — child
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. tube — a container
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. tube — the underground
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. charge — a price
  24. hide — animal skin

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