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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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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 · lean · mine · lash · bowl · racket · cue · wind

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lean — thin
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — a signal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cue — a hint
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mine — for digging
  19. club — a group
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lash — to lash out

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