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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: net · clip · rest · bear · stand · spell · wave · pound

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — to cut
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — a break
  9. spell — letters
  10. net — in sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. net — after costs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spell — magic
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stand — on your feet

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