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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: pass · ball · tear · cap · field · charge · branch · chair

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. ball — a dance
  3. field — farmland
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. branch — a division
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. tear — to rip
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — a lid
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. charge — in control
  18. cap — of ice
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pass — a permit
  21. field — a subject
  22. cap — a hat
  23. field — for sport
  24. tear — from crying

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