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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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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: swing · temple · charge · wound · trunk · bank · clip · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bank — of a river
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — for paper
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — to play on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. charge — electricity
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. swing — in golf
  23. charge — in control
  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