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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: cue · face · squash · charge · trunk · staff · branch · kid

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cue — a hint
  11. face — to confront
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cue — a signal
  15. branch — a division
  16. charge — a price
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. charge — electricity
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. branch — of a bank
  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