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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.

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: bat · scale · racket · prune · arm · net · bowl · trunk

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — in sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. net — after costs
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. arm — part of the body

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