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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: wind · charge · craft · mouse · trunk · straw · prune · spell

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. charge — in control
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — boats
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spell — letters
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. charge — electricity
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spell — magic

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