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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: root · chair · cold · chip · lash · charge · sharp · trunk

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — a leader
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. root — the cause
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cold — an illness
  13. root — of a word
  14. chip — for betting
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. charge — in control
  19. chip — to eat
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — a price
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. trunk — of a tree

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