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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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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 · ground · stem · hand · rash · charge · lean · rule

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rule — a law
  3. charge — a price
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — in cards
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — the earth
  17. charge — in control
  18. rash — a series
  19. rule — government
  20. branch — a division
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — thin
  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