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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 · present · mark · nail · trunk · tube · clip · net

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — for catching
  4. charge — in control
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — in sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. net — after costs
  12. present — a gift
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. clip — a video
  16. present — the time now
  17. mark — a grade
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. present — there
  20. tube — the underground
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. tube — a container
  24. clip — to cut

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