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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
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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: squash · roll · wound · date · charge · trunk · mouse · staff

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. staff — employees
  10. roll — a list
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. charge — a price
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. roll — a cake
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. charge — in control

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