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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: bowl · shower · swing · charge · branch · leaves · chest · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. swing — to play on
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — in control
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chest — a box
  13. charge — electricity
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. charge — a price
  16. shower — rain
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. branch — a division
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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