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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: track · board · ball · mine · sharp · rest · trunk · lash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — for digging
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a dance
  9. sharp — clever
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. ball — a great time
  14. board — a committee
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — a song
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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