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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: roll · tear · nail · craft · trunk · chair · net · wake

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — after costs
  14. tear — from crying
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. roll — a list
  17. net — in sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wake — a trail
  24. roll — a cake

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