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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 116 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: branch · lean · staff · stick · snap · march · charge · net

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to click
  3. lean — to bend
  4. charge — in control
  5. branch — a division
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. charge — electricity
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lean — thin
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — employees
  22. march — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. charge — a price

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