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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.

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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: bass · wind · safe · lash · ground · rule · racket · trunk

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ground — a position
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rule — government
  21. bass — low music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rule — a law

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