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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: tube · net · wind · saw · suit · clip · ground · cap

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cap — a lid
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cap — a hat
  10. suit — in cards
  11. ground — a position
  12. suit — clothes
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — a video
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tube — a container
  18. cap — of ice
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — for catching
  23. saw — the tool
  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