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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: bulb · tube · face · mine · chair · net

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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. chair — to sit on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. net — after costs
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. net — for catching
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mine — for digging

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