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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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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: trunk · bound · track · net · roll · face · wake · content

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. net — in sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. roll — a list
  5. track — a path
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. roll — a cake
  9. net — after costs
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. face — part of the head
  15. net — for catching
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. track — a song
  19. content — happy
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bound — obliged
  22. track — to keep track
  23. content — the amount
  24. trunk — of a car

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