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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: hand · lash · season · ball · charge · trunk · bear · lie

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ball — a great time
  5. charge — a price
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — in cards
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hand — part of the body

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