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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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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: bear · chair · last · ground · branch · squash · fork · charge

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. last — final
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. ground — crushed
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bear — the animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. fork — in a road
  12. last — to go on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. squash — to crush
  18. last — finally
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ground — a position
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — the earth
  23. branch — of a tree
  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