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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 · pop · firm · net · land · bass · snap · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — ground
  3. net — for catching
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. present — there
  7. firm — decided
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. present — a gift
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. net — after costs
  17. pop — soda
  18. bass — the fish
  19. firm — a company
  20. bass — low music
  21. pop — music
  22. firm — steady
  23. pop — to visit
  24. snap — to click

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