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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · can · swing · march · trunk · lean · mug · lash

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. march — the month
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — music
  6. can — a tin
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. can — to be able to
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. swing — music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mug — to rob
  21. swing — in golf
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mug — a cup

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