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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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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: wake · mug · charge · pop · plane · wound · swing · ruler

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. charge — in control
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mug — to rob
  24. charge — a price

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