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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: trunk · chest · bank · mark · pass · hand · charge · spring

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — of water
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bank — for money
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chest — a box
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. charge — a price
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bank — for money
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chest — of your body

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