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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: ruler · bark · trunk · chest · net · wake · cabinet · fall

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — the season
  5. net — after costs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — in sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bark — of a tree

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