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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · land · leaves · foot · fan · season · bulb · net

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — in sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. foot — a measure
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. land — ground
  22. season — in sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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