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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. row — a line
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — of a river
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. clip — a video
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. drill — a practice
  19. clip — to cut
  20. net — in sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — for money
  24. tear — from crying

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