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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: board · bear · bass · capital · trunk · jam · charge · shower

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. charge — in control
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. capital — a city
  7. bass — the fish
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. charge — a price
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. board — a committee
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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