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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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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: rest · band · lean · wake · charge · track · dip · branch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. band — a music group
  3. track — to keep track
  4. band — a ring
  5. charge — in control
  6. lean — thin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. rest — a break
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — a path
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. charge — a price
  17. dip — to sink
  18. charge — electricity
  19. track — a song
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rest — what's left
  23. branch — a division
  24. wake — before a funeral

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