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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rule — a law
  6. clip — a video
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — in sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. net — after costs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spring — the season
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — government

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