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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: mug · net · bulb · charge · land · bound · fall · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — a country
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — tied together
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — a face
  15. land — to come down
  16. mug — a cup
  17. charge — a price
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bound — certain
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. land — ground
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. charge — in control
  24. fall — to drop

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