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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: kick · trunk · swing · pitcher · rest · band · wax · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a ring
  9. swing — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. band — a music group
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. swing — to play on
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — for catching
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. kick — a thrill

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