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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: cold · spell · club · board · net · rash · track · trunk

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. club — for dancing
  3. track — a song
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rash — a series
  8. net — in sport
  9. club — for golf
  10. board — a committee
  11. club — a group
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — after costs
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — to get on
  18. track — a path
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. spell — magic
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — for catching
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cold — not warm

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