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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: bear · drill · net · pound · trunk · object · hand · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — for catching
  4. object — a thing
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cap — a hat
  8. drill — the tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bear — the animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cap — a lid
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — help
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bear — the animal
  23. object — an aim
  24. net — in sport

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