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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.

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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: land · trunk · track · net · calf · deal · bass · fine

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. track — a song
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bass — the fish
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a path
  10. land — a country
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. land — ground
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fine — all right
  24. land — to come down

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