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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. charge — electricity
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. press — to push
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. fall — the season
  10. swing — in golf
  11. press — a publisher
  12. game — a match
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. charge — a price
  16. swing — to play on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. swing — music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. press — newspapers
  22. tube — a container
  23. game — wild animals
  24. charge — in control

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