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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: cold · saw · net · can · last · bowl · lean · rock

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rock — a stone
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cold — not warm
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — to go on
  9. lean — thin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. net — for catching
  17. can — a tin
  18. net — after costs
  19. rock — music
  20. net — in sport
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — an illness

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