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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 120 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: season · club · bulb · band · bark · net · scale · press

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — a publisher
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. band — a music group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — newspapers
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. scale — in music
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. scale — size or range
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — of the year
  23. club — for golf
  24. net — in sport

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