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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: charge · wind · calf · trunk · content · tear · pitcher · bat

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — in control
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. charge — electricity
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — happy
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tear — from crying
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. content — the amount
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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