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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: squash · net · trunk · file · rash · bass · foot · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. rash — hasty
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bark — to shout
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bass — low music
  17. net — after costs
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. file — a document
  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