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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: file · trunk · net · temple · charge · wax · land · game

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. game — wild animals
  3. file — a document
  4. charge — electricity
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — ground
  8. net — after costs
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. charge — in control
  13. land — a country
  14. game — a match
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. temple — a place of worship

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