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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 120 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — of ice
  5. track — a song
  6. rock — music
  7. track — a path
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — for money
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chest — a box
  20. bank — of a river
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — for money
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. track — to keep track

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