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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · object · race · file · charge · bore · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — a price
  3. object — an aim
  4. file — a tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bore — to tire
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mine — for digging
  11. file — a document
  12. race — a contest
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. file — a line of people
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bore — to drill
  19. charge — in control
  20. race — humankind
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. trunk — of a tree

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