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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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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: saw · rule · bulb · jam · present · bark · drill · net

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. net — in sport
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — the time now
  9. rule — a law
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. present — there
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rule — government
  20. drill — army training
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  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