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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: clip · chest · bowl · lean · net · can · mug · wave

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. net — after costs
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — a video
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lean — thin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lean — to bend
  17. chest — a box
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. can — a tin

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