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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: bore · net · kid · ball · trunk · current · rest · land

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. net — after costs
  3. current — of water
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — ground
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — to come down
  11. ball — a dance
  12. current — electric
  13. current — happening now
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — for catching
  17. kid — child
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bore — to tire
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — a break
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ball — a round shape

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