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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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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: cabinet · key · nail · shower · trunk · charge · branch · mine

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — to wash
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. charge — a price
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. key — in music
  13. branch — a division
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. charge — electricity
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — in control
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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