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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: mine · bay · cap · rash · trunk · net · object · fall

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — a series
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. net — for catching
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fall — the season
  10. object — a thing
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. net — after costs
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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