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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: net · bulb · pass · calf · clip · march · root · ball

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. march — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — a permit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — a video
  15. root — the cause
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a plant
  23. net — for catching
  24. root — of a word

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