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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: net · suit · pound · bat · spring · trunk · board · straw

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bat — the animal
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pound — a weight
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. net — in sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. net — for catching
  24. board — to get on

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