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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: net · trunk · fall · hand · leaves · bass · bulb · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. net — after costs
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — help
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. net — in sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bulb — for light
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bass — low music

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