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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 · pop · coach · rush · bear · craft · swing

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. net — for catching
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. swing — music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. swing — to play on
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pop — soda
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. swing — in golf

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