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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: toast · branch · charge · cap · fall · bear · track · row

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. branch — a division
  7. track — a path
  8. toast — bread
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bear — the animal
  17. charge — a price
  18. row — a line
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bear — the animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. fall — to drop
  23. track — to keep track
  24. row — a quarrel

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