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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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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: wake · cell · net · mark · trunk · plane · rest · chair

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — after costs
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chair — a leader
  8. plane — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — in biology
  24. net — for catching

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