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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: wind · mate · content · foot · bound · bulb · net · file

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bound — obliged
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wind — moving air
  8. file — a tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — for catching
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. file — a document
  15. net — after costs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bound — certain
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a friend

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