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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 120 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: trunk · clip · coach · bark · club · craft · net · mug

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. net — for catching
  3. club — for dancing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — in sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. net — after costs
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — for golf
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mug — a face
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. clip — a video
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mug — a cup
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mug — to rob
  21. club — a group
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. clip — to cut
  24. craft — boats

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