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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: field · cue · wave · racket · lash · nail · lean · chair

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — a subject
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cue — a signal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lean — thin
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. racket — a loud noise

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