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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: club · cabinet · branch · straw · hide · stick · charge · rash

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. club — for golf
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. club — a group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. branch — a division
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. charge — in control
  17. rash — hasty
  18. charge — electricity
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. charge — a price
  21. rash — a series
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. club — for dancing

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