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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: nail · saw · rash · date · lean · branch · charge · band

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. band — a music group
  5. charge — a price
  6. saw — the tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lean — thin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — to bend
  14. branch — a division
  15. rash — a series
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. date — the fruit
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. charge — in control

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