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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 116 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 · swing · branch · band · mate · staff · straw · cue

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mate — a friend
  3. swing — music
  4. charge — in control
  5. cue — a signal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. charge — electricity
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. band — a ring
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a music group
  17. cue — a hint
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. branch — a division
  23. charge — a price
  24. branch — of a bank

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