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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. object — a thing
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. spring — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. club — a group
  7. object — an aim
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. object — to protest
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. club — for golf
  18. snap — to click
  19. scale — size or range
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. club — for dancing

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