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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: wake · kick · tube · net · trunk · pop · date · rock

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pop — soda
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kick — in football
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rock — music
  13. tube — a container
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rock — a stone

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