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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
468
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: pitch · band · cabinet · patient · net · stem · lie · clip

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — for catching
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lie — to recline
  9. band — a ring
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stem — to come from
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. net — after costs
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitch — completely

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