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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: chest · present · racket · wax · lash · ground · mark · ball

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chest — a box
  4. mark — a grade
  5. present — the time now
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. present — a gift
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ball — a dance
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — there
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ball — a great time
  24. racket — for tennis

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