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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: charge · swing · calf · wound · rush · stand · tube · roll

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stand — to bear
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. swing — music
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. charge — a price
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. swing — in golf
  13. roll — a list
  14. tube — a container
  15. charge — in control
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  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