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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 120 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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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: charge · wind · key · vault · temple · trunk · branch · chip

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. charge — in control
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wind — moving air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chip — to eat
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. key — for a lock
  13. chip — for betting
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. charge — a price
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. branch — a division
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wind — moving air
  23. key — in music
  24. charge — electricity

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