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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: land · pound · fine · net · wave · clip · temple · ruler

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fine — all right
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. land — a country
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. clip — to cut
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fine — high quality
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pound — a weight
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — to come down
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. clip — a video
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. land — ground
  24. net — after costs

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