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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: mug · lash · wound · prune · cabinet · stand · racket · kick

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mug — a cup
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mug — a face
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mug — to rob
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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