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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 · fan · net · pound · present · track · last · kick

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. track — a song
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — in sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. net — after costs
  8. kick — in football
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — there
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. last — final
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — a path
  16. present — the time now
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. track — to keep track
  19. last — finally
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — a gift
  24. last — to go on

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