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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 120 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: kid · trunk · lash · lie · foot · pop · band · charge

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pop — music
  4. band — a music group
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lie — to recline
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — child
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. charge — a price
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. charge — in control
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. foot — a measure
  24. trunk — of a car

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