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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
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: fan · charge · dip · bat · cold · wave · wake · trunk

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. charge — a price
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. charge — in control

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