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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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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: can · net · wind · scale · file · trunk

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a document
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a line of people
  9. scale — size or range
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a tool

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