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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: current · vault · board · stem · squash · prune · trunk · charge

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — electric
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — to get on
  5. current — of water
  6. vault — a safe
  7. squash — to crush
  8. charge — in control
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. current — happening now
  11. board — a committee
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. charge — a price
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. squash — the sport
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. trunk — of a tree

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