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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.

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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: clip · prune · hand · stand · charge · cell · branch · firm

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cell — in biology
  3. firm — decided
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. charge — in control
  14. prune — to trim
  15. firm — steady
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hand — help
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — to bear
  20. charge — a price
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. hand — in cards
  23. firm — a company
  24. prune — the fruit

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