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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 120 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: rock · mug · net · field · trunk · cap · cell · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rock — music
  7. field — for sport
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cap — a hat
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — after costs
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. field — a subject
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — for catching
  24. mug — to rob

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