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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 116 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: content · stand · clip · bowl · net · tube · scale · ground

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. ground — the earth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. ground — a position
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ground — crushed
  9. tube — a container
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stand — to bear
  13. scale — in music
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. clip — a video
  20. content — happy
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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