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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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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: straw · bulb · content · branch · wake · march · last · charge

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. charge — in control
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — a price
  10. wake — a trail
  11. last — final
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. content — happy
  18. march — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. march — the month
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. charge — electricity
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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