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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: trunk · cell · land · snap · stick · net · mouse · wave

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. net — in sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cell — in biology
  8. land — to come down
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. land — a country
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — for catching
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. net — after costs

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