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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: charge · dip · stem · tear · chair · clip · branch · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — a division
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — in control
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tear — to rip
  21. dip — to sink
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. clip — for paper
  24. dip — a sauce

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