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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.

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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: chest · staff · stand · bore · lean · mark · clip · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — a stick
  3. net — in sport
  4. clip — a video
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mark — a grade
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lean — thin
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — employees
  24. stand — for spectators

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