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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: trunk · nail · plane · lean · bat · hand · racket · net

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. plane — a tool
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. lean — to bend
  14. net — after costs
  15. lean — thin
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lean — to rest against

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