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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 116 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: trunk · net · bear · court · current · cabinet · lash · club

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — for sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. court — of law
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — for golf
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — in sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — happening now
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — after costs
  17. current — of water
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. current — electric
  23. bear — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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