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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: squash · bulb · mug · chip · saw · stand · fall · net

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. net — for catching
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a face
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — in sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — for betting
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. net — after costs
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stand — to bear

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