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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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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: trunk · deal · straw · cell · rest · lash · wind · charge

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rest — a break
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rest — what's left
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cell — a phone
  20. charge — a price
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. charge — electricity

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