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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 116 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 · leaves · trunk · hand · lie · wound · ball · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ball — a dance
  24. racket — for tennis

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