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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: lean · pound · stand · cell · cap · nail · wax · net

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. net — after costs
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — in sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stand — to bear
  9. net — for catching
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — a hat
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wax — to grow

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