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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 · board · wind · bound · root · net · pit · content

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  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. net — in sport
  2. content — happy
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. net — after costs
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. board — a committee
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wind — moving air
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. root — the cause
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bound — obliged
  23. board — a flat piece
  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