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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: net · bound · cue · wave · hand · temple · clip · ground

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. clip — a video
  3. cue — a hint
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. net — for catching
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — certain
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. net — after costs
  18. hand — help
  19. clip — for paper
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — a signal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — a position

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