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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: deal · current · race · drill · rash · trunk · wake · charge

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. race — humankind
  3. charge — electricity
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. drill — army training
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. current — happening now
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. deal — to handle
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. rash — a series
  19. current — of water
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. current — electric
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rash — hasty
  24. trunk — of a tree

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