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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: charge · mark · face · deal · season · kid · branch · bulb

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. season — in sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. charge — in control
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mark — a trace
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kid — to tease
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — of the year
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. deal — to handle
  21. face — to confront
  22. charge — a price
  23. branch — a division
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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