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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · content · lean · march · hide · branch · charge · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. charge — in control
  5. can — a tin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. charge — electricity
  8. lean — to bend
  9. content — happy
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lean — thin
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — a division
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. content — the amount
  22. charge — a price
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. march — music

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