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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: suit · spring · net · straw · cabinet · stand · lie · bear

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. net — after costs
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bear — the animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — in cards
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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