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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: board · mine · charge · wound · pitcher · bulb · trunk · mate

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a partner
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. charge — a price
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. charge — in control
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mate — a friend
  23. board — a committee
  24. bulb — of a plant

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