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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: charge · rock · craft · branch · wake · game · sharp · rash

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. branch — a division
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. rock — a stone
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rash — hasty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wake — a trail
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. charge — a price
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — wild animals

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