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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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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: object · net · wind · content · cell · pass · wound · fork

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pass — a permit
  3. net — after costs
  4. content — happy
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — in a road
  7. content — the amount
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — for catching
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — a thing
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wind — moving air

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