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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: staff · row · branch · game · band · bulb · charge · root

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. game — wild animals
  3. root — of a word
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a line
  8. branch — a division
  9. band — a music group
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bulb — for light
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — a match
  14. root — the cause
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bulb — for light
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bulb — of a plant

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