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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: content · lie · trunk · hand · band · pop · bank · net

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pop — music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. content — happy
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — help
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hand — in cards
  18. net — after costs
  19. pop — to visit
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pop — soda
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. net — in sport
  24. band — a ring

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