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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: club · hand · lash · fine · pass · trunk · scale · racket

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fine — all right
  4. pass — a permit
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — help
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fine — high quality
  9. club — for golf
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. club — a group
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. hand — in cards
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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