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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: band · trunk · net · cold · bowl · charge · dip · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. charge — in control
  7. band — a music group
  8. dip — to sink
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — electricity
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. charge — a price
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. net — for catching
  24. bowl — to roll

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