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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: board · club · can · lash · bat · fork · squash · trunk

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. club — for golf
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. can — a tin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. can — to be able to
  9. club — for dancing
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. club — a group
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. squash — to crush
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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