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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: trunk · kick · sharp · shower · stand · field · charge · bore

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. charge — a price
  4. bore — to tire
  5. field — a subject
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — farmland
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. shower — to wash
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. charge — in control
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. shower — rain
  17. kick — in football
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — electricity
  24. field — for sport

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