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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: charge · straw · bat · suit · branch · fan · squash · bore

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bore — to tire
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. squash — to crush
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. suit — clothes

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