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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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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: swing · squash · saw · charge · bat · fork · wave · bulb

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. charge — a price
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. charge — in control
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — the animal
  24. swing — music

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