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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: branch · charge · rush · rash · prune · scale · stick · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. charge — a price
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — size or range
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rash — hasty
  10. branch — a division
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — hurry
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. charge — electricity
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. clip — to cut
  19. charge — in control
  20. scale — in music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — a series

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