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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · charge · bowl · mouse · coach · pitcher · tube · cold

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. tube — a container
  3. cold — an illness
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. tube — the underground
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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