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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: sharp · trunk · tube · leaves · land · charge · mate · dip

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — to sink
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. charge — electricity
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — in control
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mate — a friend
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mate — a partner
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. land — a country
  22. charge — a price
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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