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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mug — to rob
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — a division
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mug — a face
  12. charge — a price
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. charge — in control
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mug — a cup
  23. spell — letters
  24. branch — of a tree

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