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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: racket · saw · mate · trunk · land · suit · scale · rash

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rash — hasty
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — to come down
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. suit — in cards
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — a series
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — in music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — a country

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