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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: trunk · charge · fork · spring · band · wound · object · ruler

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. object — an aim
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — a price
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a music group
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. object — to protest
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. object — a thing
  19. fork — in a road
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spring — the season

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