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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: spell · bat · trunk · wave · date · plane · racket · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. bat — the animal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. net — in sport
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spell — a short time
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spell — magic
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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