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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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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: craft · net · trunk · swing · pitch · tear · lash · face

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. face — to point toward
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. swing — to play on
  13. craft — boats
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — to confront
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. swing — in golf
  18. net — in sport
  19. pitch — completely
  20. swing — music
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. craft — a skill
  24. tear — to rip

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