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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: bowl · lean · straw · net · mine · kid · pound · patient

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. kid — child
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mine — for digging
  6. net — after costs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. net — in sport
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. net — for catching
  15. lean — thin
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lean — to bend
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lean — to rest against

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