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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · leaves · swing · stick · bat · trunk · lie

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. swing — music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — hasty
  5. charge — electricity
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rash — a series
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — to play on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. charge — in control
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. charge — a price
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. leaves — lets stay

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