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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: nail · rush · cap · hand · net · trunk · object · rest

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rush — hurry
  5. object — to protest
  6. rest — a break
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — after costs
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — an aim
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — help
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. object — a thing

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