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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
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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: ground · charge · fan · branch · trunk · game · track · present

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — a song
  5. present — there
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. charge — in control
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. present — a gift
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. charge — a price
  20. track — a path
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. present — the time now
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. trunk — of a car

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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