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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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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: lean · cabinet · clip · nail · cell · can · stick · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — happy
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. clip — a video
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — the amount
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — to be able to
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. can — a tin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. clip — to cut
  24. can — a tin

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