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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: wound · charge · hide · cell · bulb · lie · rash · kick

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rash — a series
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. lie — to recline
  8. charge — in control
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cell — in biology
  14. charge — a price
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hide — animal skin

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