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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: sharp · game · mug · stem · cabinet · fork · bound · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. net — in sport
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — a face
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. net — after costs
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stem — to come from
  16. sharp — clever
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bound — certain

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