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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 120 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: season · capital · mate · trunk · arm · charge · cabinet · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — in sport
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. charge — a price
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mate — a partner
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mate — a friend
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — money

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