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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: cue · band · land · bore · trunk · chair · drill · charge

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — ground
  3. bore — to drill
  4. drill — army training
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bore — to tire
  7. charge — a price
  8. band — a music group
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. band — a ring
  16. land — a country
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cue — for pool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. charge — in control
  21. land — to come down
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. band — a rubber band

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