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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: club · root · charge · branch · face · prune · chest · rest

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. face — to confront
  4. rest — a break
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — a box
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — the cause
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a plant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. charge — a price
  21. root — of a word
  22. chest — of your body
  23. charge — electricity
  24. club — for dancing

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