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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: dip · face · club · mug · wound · trunk · march · net

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mug — to rob
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — after costs
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mug — a face
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. march — music
  16. club — a group
  17. face — part of the head
  18. club — for dancing
  19. face — to confront
  20. net — in sport
  21. club — for golf
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wound — an injury
  24. dip — to dunk

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