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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 116 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mate — to breed
  7. net — for catching
  8. bass — low music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — the fish
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a song
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. tube — a container

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