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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: trunk · cue · vault · season · arm · charge · rash · can

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. charge — a price
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cue — a hint
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — a safe
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. charge — in control
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cue — a signal
  20. can — a tin
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cue — for pool

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