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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 120 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: trunk · net · cell · bass · snap · club · bore · scale

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cell — a phone
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bass — the fish
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — a group
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — low music
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cell — in biology
  21. club — for golf
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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