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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: pop · bat · branch · stem · charge · wind · cue · net

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. net — for catching
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cue — a hint
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — in control
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stem — to come from
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cue — a signal
  17. charge — a price
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. branch — a division
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — after costs
  24. pop — music

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