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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 120 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: row · trunk · patient · charge · rash · swing · bulb · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. charge — electricity
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — to paddle
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rash — a series
  18. swing — in golf
  19. charge — in control
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. row — a line
  24. swing — to play on

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