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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: ground · trunk · charge · bat · wax · ruler · pitch · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. charge — in control
  12. ground — crushed
  13. charge — a price
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ground — a position
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. swing — music
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitch — completely

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