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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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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: branch · capital · swing · charge · face · track · straw · roll

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. roll — a list
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — a price
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. track — a song
  7. roll — a cake
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. charge — in control
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. track — to keep track
  15. swing — in golf
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. face — to point toward
  18. swing — to play on
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. track — a path
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. charge — electricity
  23. swing — music
  24. branch — a division

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