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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bear — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. charge — in control
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fine — a penalty
  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