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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — for catching
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. current — electric
  11. pit — a hole
  12. toast — bread
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. current — of water
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — happening now
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kid — child
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. net — after costs

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