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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 · pitcher · rest · hide · bulb · land · net · lash

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — ground
  5. net — after costs
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. land — to come down
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — final
  17. land — a country
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. net — for catching

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