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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: lean · suit · net · cold · pound · saw · pop · craft

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. net — for catching
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — in sport
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pop — to visit
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pop — soda
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. lean — thin
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pop — music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — the tool

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