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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: cap · chip · charge · file · shower · tube · bass · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. file — a tool
  7. charge — in control
  8. bass — the fish
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. charge — a price
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cap — a hat
  19. file — a document
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. charge — electricity

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