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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: snap · chip · wound · charge · press · trunk · wake · file

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. charge — a price
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a line of people
  7. wake — a trail
  8. file — a tool
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chip — to eat
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. charge — electricity
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. charge — in control
  22. press — newspapers
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to click

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