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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.

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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: charge · trunk · lash · kid · safe · march · wind · key

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. march — the month
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — electricity
  6. march — the month
  7. key — in music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — the most important part
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. charge — in control
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. charge — a price
  24. march — music

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