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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bulb · charge · branch · racket · drill · leaves · cold

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. charge — in control
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cold — an illness
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. charge — a price
  11. drill — army training
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — for light
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. leaves — lets stay

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