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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 120 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: fork · cue · racket · lash · land · wound · perch · net

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — to come down
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. land — ground
  15. net — in sport
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cue — for pool
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cue — a hint

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