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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · band · net · stock · arm · rash · snap · file

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. band — a ring
  3. stock — goods
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rash — hasty
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — shares
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to click
  16. net — in sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. net — after costs

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