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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: squash · mate · lean · charge · root · drill · tube · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mate — a friend
  3. root — the cause
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. charge — a price
  9. squash — the sport
  10. drill — army training
  11. root — of a plant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. root — of a word
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mate — to breed
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. drill — the tool

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