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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: row · net · wind · trunk · racket · staff · track · wave

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. staff — employees
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a line
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. net — for catching
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. staff — a stick
  17. track — a song
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. staff — employees
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. row — to paddle
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wind — moving air
  24. net — after costs

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