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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: bat · ruler · lash · wound · sharp · net · trunk · charge

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — the animal
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. charge — a price
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. charge — in control
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. charge — electricity
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. net — in sport

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