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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · press · fork · game · lash · trunk · bat · wax

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — wild animals
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — to push
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. press — newspapers
  23. game — a match
  24. wax — to grow

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