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

Word bank: lash · charge · race · cell · trunk · patient · mine · perch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — humankind
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cell — a phone
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. charge — electricity
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. perch — the fish
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. charge — in control
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. charge — a price
  24. lash — an eyelash

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