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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: racket · lash · wound · prune · wave · stand · chest · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chest — a box
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stand — to bear
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chest — of your body

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