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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 120 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: net · face · cap · trunk · drill · wave · bass · fine

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cap — a lid
  3. net — in sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bass — low music
  10. drill — army training
  11. fine — high quality
  12. net — for catching
  13. fine — all right
  14. face — to point toward
  15. net — after costs
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cap — of ice
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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