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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: mark · staff · hand · cold · nail · net · trunk · foot

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — an illness
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — help
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. net — for catching
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cold — not warm
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. mark — a grade
  17. foot — a measure
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hand — in cards
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mark — a trace
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mark — to pay attention

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