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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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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: club · net · rule · trunk · wake · face · row · rush

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. net — after costs
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rule — government
  10. rush — hurry
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. net — in sport
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rule — a law
  17. face — to confront
  18. net — for catching
  19. club — a group
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. trunk — of a car

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