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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 120 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: land · swing · charge · wave · temple · prune · rule · tube

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. swing — to play on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. land — ground
  8. tube — the underground
  9. swing — in golf
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tube — a container
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — government
  23. swing — music
  24. charge — a price

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