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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: march · race · bear · charge · stock · jam · wake · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. march — the month
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — a trail
  8. race — a contest
  9. charge — in control
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — shares
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. march — music
  21. charge — a price
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bear — the animal

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