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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: charge · swing · hand · squash · date · wound · trunk · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wound — an injury
  6. swing — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — in control
  9. date — the fruit
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. hand — in cards
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. swing — in golf
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — help
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. toast — bread
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. swing — to play on

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