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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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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: wake · file · trunk · pitcher · capital · wind · charge · racket

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. file — a document
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. charge — a price
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — in control
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. capital — money
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a tool
  24. wind — moving air

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