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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: net · ball · trunk · wind · plane · rest · race · bound

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. plane — a tool
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. net — in sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. net — after costs
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rest — a break
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. net — for catching

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