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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.

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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: lean · last · branch · trunk · charge · file · object · chest

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. charge — in control
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chest — of your body
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. charge — a price
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. lean — thin
  14. chest — a box
  15. file — a document
  16. object — a thing
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. last — to go on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. object — an aim
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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