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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: charge · field · trunk · tube · suit · lie · deal · hand

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hand — help
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — a subject
  12. hand — in cards
  13. charge — electricity
  14. suit — to fit
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. charge — in control
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. lie — to recline

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