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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: board · charge · dip · squash · kid · toast · calf · branch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. charge — a price
  5. branch — a division
  6. charge — in control
  7. board — to get on
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kid — child
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. dip — to sink
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. charge — electricity
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. board — a committee
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. squash — to crush
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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