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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: pit · charge · hand · trunk · file · bulb · swing · wax

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. file — a tool
  6. swing — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. swing — to play on
  9. charge — a price
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bulb — for light
  16. charge — in control
  17. swing — in golf
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. charge — electricity
  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