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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: net · chest · hand · trunk · band · object · racket · track

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a music group
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. net — in sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — a path
  13. band — a ring
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — help
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. hand — in cards
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. object — a thing
  24. chest — a box

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