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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 120 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
468
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: field · branch · charge · hide · bear · capital · cue · chair

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. branch — a division
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cue — a signal
  10. field — a subject
  11. cue — a hint
  12. field — farmland
  13. cue — for pool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. field — for sport
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. chair — a leader
  24. charge — electricity

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