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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: charge · ground · cold · trunk · leaves · staff · lean · present

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. charge — a price
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — not warm
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lean — to bend
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ground — the earth
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. present — the time now
  21. charge — in control
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — crushed

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