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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · ground · rush · fall · swing · trunk · cell · racket

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mug — to rob
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cell — a phone
  13. swing — music
  14. rush — hurry
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fall — the season
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ground — a position
  24. swing — in golf

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