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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: bank · ground · trunk · prune · cell · charge · lash · arm

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. charge — electricity
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ground — a position
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. charge — in control
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cell — a phone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bank — for money
  19. ground — crushed
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bank — for money

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