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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: staff · lean · net · trunk · bark · content · foot · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — the amount
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — thin
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. content — happy
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. staff — a stick
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rock — to move gently

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