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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: present · toast · key · cell · lash · trunk · net · ground

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. key — in music
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — in sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — a phone
  11. toast — bread
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. present — a gift
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. net — after costs
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. present — the time now
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ground — the earth
  21. present — there
  22. key — the most important part
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. net — for catching

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