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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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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 · pop · last · branch · present · season · calf · bulb

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. charge — a price
  5. present — a gift
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — music
  9. last — final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. present — there
  16. bulb — for light
  17. season — in sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. last — finally
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pop — to visit

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