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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: pop · rest · face · march · charge · branch · row · toast

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pop — music
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — the month
  11. pop — to visit
  12. toast — bread
  13. branch — a division
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rest — a break
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — a price
  23. rest — what's left
  24. face — to point toward

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