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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: board · trunk · rush · pitch · net · chest · tube · nail

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. net — for catching
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. chest — a box
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. net — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. net — after costs
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — the underground

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