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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.

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: trunk · foot · date · saw · current · pitcher · clip · charge

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. charge — electricity
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. date — the fruit
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — in control
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — happening now
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pitcher — a jug

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