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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 116 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: bulb · pound · firm · season · net · clip · patient · mouse

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — a video
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — steady
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. season — in sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — a company
  19. net — in sport
  20. firm — decided
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. season — of the year

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