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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: present · net · wake · bound · object · rash · clip · ground

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — a gift
  7. wake — a trail
  8. clip — to cut
  9. ground — crushed
  10. present — there
  11. bound — tied together
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — the earth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ground — a position
  17. object — an aim
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. rash — a series
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — certain
  24. rash — on the skin

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