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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.

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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: mate · tear · vault · tube · ground · charge · trunk · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. charge — electricity
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. charge — in control
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. mate — a friend
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. net — after costs
  12. tear — to rip
  13. net — for catching
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ground — crushed
  16. vault — a safe
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ground — a position
  21. mate — to breed
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. charge — a price

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