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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 120 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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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: staff · firm · face · charge · band · tear · branch · stick

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. charge — in control
  3. branch — a division
  4. firm — decided
  5. staff — a stick
  6. band — a music group
  7. firm — a company
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. band — a ring
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — part of the head
  14. charge — a price
  15. tear — from crying
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. tear — to rip
  20. face — to point toward
  21. charge — electricity
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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