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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: spell · lie · bulb · net · stand · field · clip · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spell — letters
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. field — a subject
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — magic
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — of the year
  14. lie — to recline
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. net — after costs
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — for sport
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — farmland
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — a video
  24. stand — on your feet

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