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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: last · net · race · bass · bulb · scale · safe · spring

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. bass — the fish
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. race — a contest
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — low music
  13. net — for catching
  14. race — humankind
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — finally
  21. scale — in music
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — the arms race

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