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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: fine · row · clip · land · charge · pitch · staff · branch

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — a stick
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. charge — in control
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitch — completely
  16. branch — a division
  17. clip — a video
  18. land — ground
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — to come down
  23. clip — to cut
  24. staff — employees

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