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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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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 · roll · staff · trunk · coach · wind · season · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — steady
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — after costs
  7. firm — decided
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — a stick
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. roll — a list
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — a trainer

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