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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: club · lash · racket · prune · bat · swing · nail · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. swing — music
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. club — a group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — the animal
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — to play on
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — in golf

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