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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: band · lean · chest · net · cabinet · file · sharp · bowl

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chest — of your body
  3. file — a tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — in sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a document
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. net — after costs
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — for catching
  18. chest — a box
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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