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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · fork · trunk · season · toast · wound · charge · foot

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. charge — electricity
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. toast — bread
  9. charge — in control
  10. fork — in a road
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. foot — a measure
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. charge — a price
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. season — of the year

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