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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · leaves · ground · land · bound · pit · clip · bore

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — to drill
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — a country
  8. pit — in a race
  9. net — for catching
  10. clip — for paper
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. clip — to cut
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — certain
  23. ground — crushed
  24. clip — a video

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