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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · lash · racket · staff · wake · bound · club · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. bound — tied together
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — a group
  10. staff — employees
  11. hand — in cards
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. club — for golf
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. hand — help
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. wake — a trail
  23. club — for dancing
  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