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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: chest · key · branch · charge · toast · wake · wound · dip

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. key — in music
  3. branch — a division
  4. charge — in control
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — a price
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. key — for a lock
  12. dip — to sink
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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