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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: fine · net · trunk · bound · wake · hide · mark · cold

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. net — after costs
  3. fine — all right
  4. net — for catching
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bound — certain
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — in sport
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — tied together

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