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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: branch · chair · straw · clip · board · charge · row · stick

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. charge — in control
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — a committee
  8. branch — a division
  9. charge — electricity
  10. row — to paddle
  11. board — to get on
  12. row — a line
  13. clip — to cut
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. charge — a price
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — dry grass

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