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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 · tube · pound · cabinet · nail · capital · leaves · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — in sport
  8. capital — money
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. capital — a city
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. net — after costs
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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