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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 · net · clip · bulb · roll · saw · race · charge

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. race — humankind
  4. bulb — for light
  5. net — for catching
  6. race — a contest
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. clip — to cut
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. charge — a price
  11. roll — a cake
  12. charge — in control
  13. net — after costs
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. charge — electricity
  18. saw — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. net — in sport

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