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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 116 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: wave · net · track · ground · hide · content · hand · clip

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hand — in cards
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. clip — a video
  9. content — happy
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. track — a path
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — crushed
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. net — after costs

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