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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: cabinet · net · ground · hand · stem · bay · coach · clip

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. net — after costs
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hand — in cards
  9. clip — a video
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. hand — help
  13. net — for catching
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — in sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stem — to come from
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. cabinet — ministers

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