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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: march · mug · charge · staff · toast · hand · stick · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. march — music
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — a division
  6. mug — a cup
  7. charge — in control
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — help
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. toast — bread
  14. staff — employees
  15. mug — to rob
  16. charge — a price
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. march — the month
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. mug — a face
  23. march — the month
  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