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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: perch · net · bound · club · tube · clip · fan · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. club — a group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. club — for dancing
  10. clip — a video
  11. tube — the underground
  12. net — for catching
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — for paper
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — in sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tube — a container
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bound — tied together

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