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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: tear · scale · bay · bulb · tube · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. scale — in music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. net — for catching
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tear — from crying
  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