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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: ball · rush · lean · fine · trunk · saw · wind · charge

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ball — a great time
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — all right
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rush — hurry
  11. charge — a price
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. charge — electricity
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. charge — in control

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