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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 · band · board · trunk · wound · fine · lash · last

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. band — a music group
  6. fine — all right
  7. last — final
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. board — to get on
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. band — a ring
  20. board — a committee
  21. last — to go on
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — finally

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