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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: rush · charge · root · spring · lash · swing · tube · hand

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. charge — in control
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. charge — a price
  7. rush — hurry
  8. root — of a plant
  9. spring — of water
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tube — the underground
  15. root — the cause
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tube — a container
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. root — of a word
  21. spring — the season
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. charge — electricity
  24. tube — in a tire

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