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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 · bat · can · branch · wake · squash · pitcher · charge

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. branch — a division
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. club — for golf
  21. charge — a price
  22. club — for dancing
  23. charge — electricity
  24. squash — the vegetable

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