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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.

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: club · bank · chest · perch · mine · rush · trunk · net

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bank — of a river
  6. net — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — for money
  11. club — for golf
  12. bank — for money
  13. mine — for digging
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — for catching
  18. perch — the fish
  19. club — a group
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — after costs
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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