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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.

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: spell · net · racket · bulb · clip · pass

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. clip — a video
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. net — in sport
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bulb — for light
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. net — for catching
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bulb — for light

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