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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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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: prune · bass · wind · bulb · press · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — a publisher
  11. prune — to trim
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. press — to push
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — to trim

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