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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: ball · wound · hand · toast · racket · rush · lie · trunk

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hand — in cards
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — hurry
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lie — to recline
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ball — a dance
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. toast — bread
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wound — an injury

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