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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: swing · mouse · fall · wax · charge · trunk · kid · date

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — child
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — the fruit
  8. kid — to tease
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. charge — a price
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fall — to drop
  23. swing — in golf
  24. trunk — of a tree

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