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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: bulb · lean · net · wind · mate · toast · roll · capital

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — in sport
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. capital — a city
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. roll — a cake
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — a partner
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mate — a friend
  14. roll — a list
  15. lean — to bend
  16. capital — money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lean — thin
  22. toast — bread
  23. bulb — for light
  24. roll — on a roll

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