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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: lash · ball · spell · spring · trunk · charge · arm · last

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. last — finally
  3. spring — of water
  4. last — final
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. charge — electricity
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. last — to go on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. charge — in control
  19. spring — the season
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ball — a great time
  23. charge — a price
  24. spell — letters

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