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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: tube · hand · leaves · wound · charge · last · trunk · calf

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — an injury
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. last — finally
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wound — an injury
  17. tube — a container
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. last — final
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. calf — of the leg

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