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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: lash · court · pass · bulb · net · land · last · band

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — a country
  8. last — to go on
  9. court — of law
  10. pass — a permit
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. court — of a king
  17. net — after costs
  18. land — to come down
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. court — for sport
  22. land — ground
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. last — final

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