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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 120 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 · fall · rock · bound · trunk · clip · bass · rule

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — in sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bound — tied together
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. bass — the fish
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rule — a law
  16. fall — the season
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bound — certain
  21. rock — music
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rule — government
  24. bass — low music

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