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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.

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: row · trunk · kid · scale · season · charge · ground · snap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. row — to paddle
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kid — to tease
  13. season — of the year
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. season — in sport
  16. row — a line
  17. scale — in music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. charge — in control
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ground — crushed
  22. snap — to click
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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