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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: charge · trunk · rash · swing · tube · wax · pitcher · pound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tube — a container
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. swing — in golf
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — in control
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pound — a weight
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — a series
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. swing — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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