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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: club · charge · lean · hide · trunk · rush · kick · clip

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lean — thin
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — for paper
  13. club — a group
  14. clip — a video
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. club — for golf
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — in football

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