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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stick · net · bound · plane · current · rock · cell

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. rock — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — after costs
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bound — tied together
  7. current — electric
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — happening now
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — of water
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bound — certain
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. plane — a tool
  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