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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: straw · ground · rush · cap · net · current · clip · arm

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. net — for catching
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. net — after costs
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. net — in sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. current — happening now
  11. ground — a position
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cap — a hat
  14. clip — for paper
  15. current — electric
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. current — of water
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cap — of ice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rush — hurry
  24. arm — a part of something

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