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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: nail · pass · lean · net · foot · cabinet · straw · scale

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. foot — a measure
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — in music
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. net — in sport
  10. pass — a permit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lean — thin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. straw — a straw man

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