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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · spring · wave · wound · toast · bass · net · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spring — the season
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. net — in sport
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. net — for catching
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. net — after costs
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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