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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 116 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: land · dip · net · drill · trunk · court · wake · charge

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. land — a country
  5. wake — a trail
  6. net — for catching
  7. court — of law
  8. land — to come down
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. drill — a practice
  11. land — ground
  12. charge — a price
  13. net — in sport
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. drill — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. charge — electricity
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. net — after costs
  23. court — for sport
  24. drill — army training

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