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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: lash · ground · land · straw · cue · branch · ball · charge

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. charge — in control
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. branch — a division
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. cue — for pool
  17. land — ground
  18. ball — a great time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — crushed
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cue — a signal
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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