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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 116 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 · pop · kick · bark · clip · firm · bank

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. pop — soda
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — for catching
  5. pop — music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — after costs
  8. kick — in football
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — steady
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bank — of a river
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  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