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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: tube · rest · face · bass · trunk · field · rash · net

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rash — a series
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. net — for catching
  8. face — to point toward
  9. net — after costs
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — hasty
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — low music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — to confront
  21. field — for sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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