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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · content · wound · net · branch · pitch · lash · cabinet

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. content — happy
  12. branch — a division
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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