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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 116 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: dip · bound · trunk · ruler · net · cold · land · rock

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. net — for catching
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — an illness
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. land — ground
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — after costs
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — certain
  20. rock — music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rock — a stone

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