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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 · lie · net · face · patient · content · pound · wave

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. content — happy
  3. pound — a weight
  4. face — part of the head
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. face — to point toward
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — to confront
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — the amount
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. lie — to recline
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. net — for catching

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