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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · degree · safe · branch · spring · cap · chair · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. charge — a price
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bass — low music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cap — a hat
  8. charge — electricity
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — a division
  12. spring — of water
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chair — a leader
  17. charge — in control
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — from a university
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — to sit on

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