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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · rule · craft · wind · trunk · object · net · last

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. rule — government
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. net — for catching
  6. craft — boats
  7. track — to keep track
  8. last — finally
  9. track — a path
  10. wind — moving air
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rule — a law
  17. track — a song
  18. object — to protest
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. last — to go on

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