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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: trunk · rash · fan · date · roll · key · present · net

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. net — after costs
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. present — there
  5. net — in sport
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. key — in music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. present — the time now
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. net — for catching
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. date — the fruit
  20. present — a gift
  21. key — for a lock
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rash — a series
  24. date — on the calendar

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