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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: lean · kick · nail · lash · season · bat · land · board

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. season — of the year
  3. land — ground
  4. lean — thin
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — in sport
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. land — a country
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. board — to get on
  16. lean — to bend
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — to add flavour
  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