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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: trunk · mark · date · bass · net · spring · current · kick

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. bass — the fish
  4. net — for catching
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. current — happening now
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. net — after costs
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — in sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. date — the fruit
  15. current — of water
  16. bass — low music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bass — the instrument

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