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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: can · plane · roll · trunk · net · charge · stock · bat

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — a cake
  3. net — in sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. can — a tin
  7. charge — a price
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. charge — in control
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. charge — electricity
  14. can — to be able to
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. roll — a list
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bat — the animal
  24. plane — a tool

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